Earlier this year we had the pleasure of working with Hamish and Camille to print the first ever edition of Fluke.
Fluke is a brand new art & culture quarterly print magazine with a Circus bent and an emphasis on photography and design.
The magazine proudly hails from beautiful Bundjalung country, in the Byron Shire, Northern NSW and is published by Carnival Cinema.
It is created by, Byron shire native, ex-circus performer turned filmmaker & photographer – Hamish McCormick. Hamish has spent 15 years documenting the contemporary circus, cabaret and the colourful fringe festival culture in Australia and around the world under the banner of his alias Carnival Cinema.
Carnival Cinema’s latest creation, Fluke casts the net wider to pick up other inhabitants of our subcultures; musicians, visual artists and creative movers and shakers of all sorts.
Fluke connects these passionate, creative tribes to each other and their audience through telling their stories through stunning photo essays and candid, insightful interviews and articles. Intimate glimpses of playful creative lives told from the inside.
We had a chat with Camille, an Illustrator, Designer, Artist and Art Director at Fluke about her art practise, what isolation means for her and the printing methods she chose for Fluke.
FPP: Do you have a favourite medium for creating?
Camille: At the moment I’m loving gouache and acrylic paint, but I’ve also got a soft spot for digital drawing on the iPad.
FPP: What does a typical day look like for you?
Camille: Working for myself for almost 5 years, I’ve only just figured out the best routine for structuring my day. So, most mornings I’ll either go for a walk, go to yoga or just go for a coffee with my husband and have a look at the beach. Then it’s back home to get stuck into emails and admin. I’ll then head down to Mint Art House where I’ve been residing for 3 months now, to get creative with some art, concepts or illustrations. Then a late lunch around 2, followed by some design work.
Late afternoon I’ll go for a walk or to get groceries, then its back to work for a few hours until I can feel my attention span waiving. Disclaimer – this was all before the strict social isolation measures came in, so all of that has now gone out the window!
FPP: It’s currently a strange time for everyone, and especially for the arts. Has COVID 19 had a direct impact on your practise as a creative?
Camille: It is such a strange time! As someone who’s been working from home for a while, I think I’ve been pretty well equipped for it, but my husband – along with a lot of people – was stood down last week, so it’s been interesting planning my day with someone else around now.
I also feel I was just getting into the swing of working from Mint Art House in such a social, collaborative environment, and now we’re in this grey area where we shouldn’t really be going in to work with other people around. The space is quite roomy, so you can easily observe the distancing rules, but it is safer to stay at home. In any case I’m thankful to have a creative practice I can go to, from pretty much anywhere.
FPP: What are you working on right now?
Camille: Right now I’m sketching up some illustrations for a prospective picture book, finalising the design of a report for a youth advocacy organisation, starting to think about Issue 2 of Fluke Magazine, and I’m planning out some new art to get me through these next few months.
About Fluke…
FPP: What’s your role in the creation of Fluke Magazine?
Camille: We’re a small team of two, so there’s a few crossovers between us, and luckily we work really well and balance each other out.
I take care of the look and feel of the mag, while Hamish compiles/writes and edits the content, manages client relationships and ensures I have everything I need to design the magazine from cover to cover. This includes adding illustrations, some minor sub-editing and outputting the document for print. We touch base regularly to make sure everything is flowing correctly, and to ensure we’re both happy with the outcome.
FPP: Is there something in particular that has drawn you to the circus element to Fluke?
Camille: I’ve been involved with the circus industry for almost 7 years, through working in the arts, and largely due to meeting my now husband who used to be a circus performer. The contemporary Australian circus industry is one of the most inspiring and accepting groups of people I’ve come across. Without getting too gushy, their work ethic, drive and talent is incredible, and the magic they bring to their art is incredible. Hamish has been sharing these stories for years through Carnival Cinema – photography and videography – and I’m excited to help him introduce these contemporary circus artists to new audiences through Fluke.
FPP: How long has it taken you to get Fluke Mag off the ground – from fruition to on the shelves?
Camille: For Hamish, he’d probably say 15 years, as he’s been dreaming about it for a long time! But actually from when Hamish called me with this ambitious idea, I’d say 5 months to delivery of the printed mag. With only the two of us, it cuts out a lot of wasted time, so once we got moving, it all happened pretty fast.
FPP: Can you tell us about the paper stock and binding method choice you have made?
Camille: We were really conscious of producing the magazines to be as environmentally friendly as possible. So finding Fast Proof Press right here on the Gold Coast was pretty exciting. We knew from the beginning we wanted a nice dense, uncoated stock to give it a high-end feel, and for a magazine of this length that we wanted it to be more of a book than a magazine, so burst binding made the most sense.
FPP: Do you have any suggestions/tips for anyone who would like to start their own magazine?
Camille: Do your research, because it is not a small task. See what else is on the market and make sure your magazine isn’t already out there. I feel really lucky that Hamish had been planning this for a long time and knew exactly the tone and vibe he wanted for the mag. Lastly, trust. Trust in your team, trust in all the contributors and partners, and trust in your product.
FPP: When can we expect the next edition?
Camille: We’re still pushing ahead for four issues a year, so Issue 2 should be ready around June. It’s a tough time for a lot of artists, given most of them have lost months of work, so we feel it’s more important than ever to tell their stories and support the arts as much as possible. Plus we’ve all got plenty of time to flick through a nice chunky magazine now.
Want to know more?
Fluke Magazine http://flukemagazine.com/
Subscribe or purchase – https://www.carnivalcinema.com.au/product/fluke-yearly-subscription-4-x-issues/
Fluke’s instagram https://www.instagram.com/flukemag/
Camille’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/camillemanley_art/
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